Prince William Gets Honest About Diapers And Dad Life

Fatherhood can be daunting, he said at an event for a male mental health charity.

By Maija Kappler, HuffPost Canada

02/15/2019 05:35am ET

Stuart C. Wilson via Getty Images

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge visits the Future Men Fathers Development Programme in London on Feb. 14, 2019.

Changing a diaper is never straightforward — even if you're a prince.

As part of his work with mental health charities for men, the Duke of Cambridge visited several London-based groups this week. One charity, Future Men, helps prepare new and soon-to-be dads for the challenges of parenthood. On Thursday, Prince William met with several members of the Future Dads course, which aims to teach skills to new fathers and raise their confidence level.

The course includes frank discussions of fatherhood, tips on self-care for dads, and — of course — a station where men practice changing diapers on a doll.

Stuart C. Wilson via Getty Images

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge at the 'Future Men' Fathers Development Programme in London on Feb. 14, 2019.

Hello! reported that Prince William chatted with diaper-changer Rick Karadia-Hudson, 34, whose wife is expecting a baby boy in May. "It's never straightforward!" the prince told him. He also chatted about how tricky it can be to dress a baby: the "hardest bit is the buttons," he said, according to E! News.

William also talked candidly about the ways life changes for new parents, beyond just the buttons.

"Once the lack of sleep starts setting in, the stress levels go up," he said. "From a young age you're taught to have a vision, have a plan, have a career and all of a sudden babies come along and you have to start thinking about a lot more... It's such a change, your whole life goes one way and suddenly you're told to stop in your tracks."

"They are so fragile and everything's so tiny, their little fingers and toes, you do feel like if you move them around too much they're going to break almost but they don't," he said.

"The fear of having a newborn baby that's very vulnerable and that's what you spend most of your time worrying about, thinking what do I do? And that's the thing isn't it, it's very daunting of how tiny they are when they first arrive."

William and his wife Kate Middleton are the parents of five-year-old George, three-year-old Charlotte, and nine-month-old Louis. Both parents have spoken openly about some of the challenges they've faced.

Speaking at a conference about mental health and education in London on Wednesday, the Duchess of Cambridge weighed in on what she wished she knew as a new mom.

“I was very naive myself as a parent, of really just how important particularly the early years are for children’s futures,” she said, according to Hello!

“Over the last eight years working with charities I’ve met some of our leading experts in mental health, addiction, family breakdown, homelessness and education,” she added. “And how critical it is, everyone looking after children at a critical time, teachers, parents, and everyone who’s caring for them, how important it is that we get it right.”